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HopeLives365

Mark Finley

The Power of One

I find individual men and women that made a difference for Christ from Genesis to Revelation.

We see God's hand in the lives of individuals who did what was right because it was right, regardless of the results, and they made a difference for God.

You know, the world as we once knew it has dramatically changed.

And this pace of change is so incredibly rapid that if you blink your eyes, you almost miss it.

It seems that the foundations of society are crumbling.

This has produced an uncertainty, an anxiety, an insecurity on the part of many.

Let's look at a few statistics of what's happening in the world.

And these statistics almost read like Jesus' words in Matthew 24 and in Mark 13 and Luke 21.

If you look, for example, at the statistics on world hunger, 690 million people went hungry in 2019.

8.9% of all the people in the world today are hungry globally.

19% of the people in Africa suffer from hunger.

That's 1 in every 5 Africans goes to bed tonight with not enough food.

2000000000 people in the world are unable to access food that's safe and nutritious.

57% of sub-Sahara Africa and Southern Asia aren't able to afford a healthy diet.

Jesus speaks about famines, speaks about world hunger.

But let's look at the refugees, the displaced people.

Over 108 million people worldwide last year were displaced from their homes as a result of persecution or conflict or violence or human rights violations.

We talked about the war in the Ukraine, hundreds, thousands dead, tens of thousands more injured.

And then you see recently, a week ago today, this last Sabbath, an attack on Israel, and there now Iran, China threatening to be involved, United States sending an aircraft carrier support group to the Mediterranean.

When you take a look at what's happening in the world from the area of war, did you know that over 500, 000 people, a million people this year, will die because of war?

And that's tens of thousands more injured.

Now, if you add to that almost 400, 000 people dying because of violent crimes.

Something's going on in the world, world hunger, refugees, wars, but then you look at natural disasters.

You say, well, haven't we always had natural disasters?

In 2022, the emergency event database recorded 387 natural disasters worldwide.

Do you know that in that 1 year alone, there were 223 billion dollars spent on natural disasters?

Then, if you look at the nuclear threat around the world, there's a group called the atomic scientists and they publish every year what's called the doomsday clock.

And they've just moved up the hands on this doomsday clock to 90 seconds before midnight.

Now, midnight, of course, is the time, what these atomic scientists believe, that life on earth will be extinct.

And this is what their global report said.

The clock now stands at 90 seconds to midnight, the closest to global catastrophe it's ever been.

Take your Bible and turn to Luke the 21st chapter.

When we see the signs in the natural world, when we see distress in nations, when men and women's hearts are failing them for fear, what is Christ's instruction to us?

Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads because your redemption draws nigh.

When these things begin to happen, Are these events taking place all around us today?

When these events begin to happen, do what?

Be filled with fear and anxiety because of the events?

There is an amazing statement that was written well over a hundred years ago in a little series called the Ninth Volume of the Testimonies, page 11.

The Agencies of evil are combining their forces and consolidating.

They are strengthening for the last great crisis.

Read the last sentence with me if you would, please.

Great changes are soon to take place in our world, and the final movements will be rapid ones.

Do we see great changes taking place in the world today?

And is the pace of change rapidly increasing?

Now, as we contemplate the state of our world and these rapidly deteriorating world conditions, it's very easy to become so perplexed you just throw up your hands and you say, well, there's nothing really I can do about it.

I'm simply only 1 planet, 1 person on a planet out of control, and that's it.

I'm reminded of a statement by Dwight Moody, the renowned American evangelist.

I can't do everything, but I can do something.

What I can do, I ought to do, and what I ought to do, by the grace of God, I will do.

You see, because I can't do everything about all these conditions in the world doesn't mean that I should refuse to do the something that I can do.

You're the only person with your exact heritage.

You're the only person with your life story.

You're the only person who has your personal convictions, your skills, your appearance, your touch, your voice, your style, your surroundings, your sphere of influence.

You're the only 1 who, by the grace of God, can make a difference in your world.

You can make a difference in your family.

You can make a difference with your husband, your wife, your children.

You can make a difference with your neighbor.

You can make a difference with your working associates.

You make a difference with students in a school, nurses in the hospital where you work, the computer program.

I am only 1, but I can make a difference in my world.

You know, in 1654, 1 vote gave Oliver Cromwell the control of England.

In 1649, 1 vote caused Charles I of England to be executed.

In 1776, 1 vote gave America the English language instead of the German language.

If there wasn't that 1 vote, you may be speaking German today.

In 1839, 1 vote elected Marcus Morton, governor of Massachusetts.

In 1845, 1 vote, 1 vote brought Texas into the Union, or otherwise Texas would be part of Mexico.

In 1875, 1 vote changed France from a monarchy to a republic.

In 1876, 1 vote, 1 vote gave Rutherford B.

In 1923, 1 vote, 1 vote gave Adolf Hitler control of the Nazi party and it changed the world.

In 1941, 1 vote saved the selective service system where young people are brought into the armed forces, 1 vote saved that system 12 weeks before Pearl Harbor.

When I read the Bible, when I read God's Word, I find individual men and women that made a difference for Christ from Genesis to Revelation.

We see God's hand in the lives of individuals who did what was right because it was right regardless of the results, and they made a difference for God.

In the Bible, we discover the power of 1 person, guided by the Holy Spirit, 1 person's influence making a difference for God, 1 person's decision changing the course of history.

1 person's actions impacting the scores of other lives.

1 person's kindness making a difference in the lives of the people around them.

Heaven's vision for a last day people is this, God's people, filled with his spirit, proclaiming his love and grace and truth everywhere, making a difference.

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The Power of One

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